Sharing, Soaring, Serene

This morning and opportunity presented itself to sit down with a group of friend and speak frankly about some of my past experiences, some things that happened to change the direction I was taking, what that's led to, and what there was to learn during that time.

It's always been a little uncomfortable for me to share those kind of details, even in a general way, with other people.  Fear is probably the root of the reluctance, but it's not a knee melting sort of fear.  Whatever the source of the reluctance, I tend to feel better after I've stepped up to the facts and vocalized them out loud.

The get together took a little longer than planned, so my commute to work was delayed as well.  There is a reason for everything, and on my way to work, later in the day than I had planned, the universe rewarded me with a sighting of an adult bald eagle in flight.

Adult Bald Eagle in Flight above US Highway 50

Fate smiled on me further and allowed me to capture an over the shoulder shot out of my driver side window of the magnificent raptor.  Once again, the picture above does not quite do the sight that I saw justice, but I continue to be amazed by the quality of photography possible on a device about half the size and volume of a short paperback novel.  Here's the whole shot that I captured for a bit of context regarding the quality of the image capture seen in the blown up shot above.

Adult Bald Eagle in Flight above US Highway 50

The eagle is the v-shaped speck above and slightly to the right of the power pole near the center of the picture.

Although this was during my driving commute, I did get in the goal distance associated with my pedestrian activity.  The evening ramble saw me out the doors at work a little later than hoped for, and surprise awaited me when the lingering colors of the setting sun were still vivid enough to capture in pixels.

The Colors of Sunset as a Backdrop a Skyline in Southeast DC

This picture was taken on my trip to the car to drop off my gym back before hitting the asphalt in earnest.  With the dark hue of the colors, I did not expect to be able to capture anything else during the evening.  Again, I was surprised.

Sunset to be followed shortly by Moonset Over the Anacostia

Fetching the river, the universe dealt me a celestial twofer. The setting of the sun to be quickly followed by the setting of the moon had been all teed up for my viewing enjoyment.

Later tonight at home, the news of the attacks in Paris that were happening at about the same time as the last two photos were being taken made its way into my consciousness.  I struggle to come to terms with the beauty and the sadness that were unfolding under the same sky. I mention the bloodshed in Paris because I think that I should.  There's a lesson here somewhere, but I don't know what that lesson is right now.  I do know that in spite of the chaos that unfolded a hemisphere away, a sense of serenity in my here and now has proven pretty resilient.  I'm grateful for that.